resident

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈrez.ɪ.dənt/^[1]

Etymology

The adjective is Middle English resident, borrowed from Old French resident and directly from Latin residēns (“remaining, settling”),^[2][3][4] the present participle of residēre (“to sit down, settle”).^[2][3] The noun is from the adjective.^[2] See reside.^[2][5]

Earliest recorded meaning

Dwelling in a place: 1382 in the OED, the late 14th century in Etymonline.^[6][2]

Semantic evolution

Staying in a place in the discharge of a duty, originally of clergy, is from 1426, the early 15th century in Etymonline.^[6][2] The noun, an inhabitant, is from the mid-15th century.^[2] Of qualities, inherent or established, it is from 1525.^[6] In the 17th century a resident was also a diplomat ranking below an ambassador, and later a British representative in a protectorate.^[7] Of animals and birds that do not migrate it is from 1828.^[6] A doctor in hospital training is American from 1892.^[2]

Timeline

• 1382 – dwelling in a place.^[6]
• 1426 – residing for duty.^[6]
• mid-15th century – the noun, an inhabitant.^[2]
• 1828 – of animals, non-migratory.^[6]
• 1892 – a hospital doctor (US).^[2]

Modern meaning

Noun

1. A person who lives in a particular place.
2. (US) A doctor who is getting advanced training in a hospital.
3. (historical) A government representative living in a foreign country or protectorate.

Adjective

1. Living in a particular place.
2. Living at the place where one works: a resident tutor.
3. Of a bird or animal, not migrating.

Word family

• residentship
• nonresident
• residency
• resident alien

Related words

• reside
• residence
• residential

References

1. ^ Jones, Daniel (2011), Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary, 18th ed., ed. Peter Roach, Jane Setter and John Esling, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
3. ^ a b Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
4. ^ Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
5. ^ Pearsall, Judy, ed. (1998), The New Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford: Clarendon Press
6. ^ a b c d e f g Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
7. ^ Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins